For my ‘musings’ for this Monday, I wanted to bring out some research behind some ‘education’ advertisements. These are inserted carefully between games on your smart phone. If you play word games, the education ads are more frequent than if you play games with matching fruit.

While we know the CCSS Machine is everywhere, it’s not surprising we see the in-our-faces propaganda showing up like this. The simple solution? Stop playing the games on your phone. However, while you may stop, what about the millions of others who won’t and thus those ads continue to be seen?

Below, I’ve going to show you 3 such examples.

Curio Learning’s Advertisement:

Warriors, note this one is targeting teachers. We know how awfully teachers are treated by the CCSS Machine.

What’s interesting about this free app (Curio Learning) you can download to your smart phone or computer: is by invitation only.

Curio Learning is also seeing education as something to be improved upon globally. The founder of Curio Learning is Ashley Lamb-Sinclair (KY’s 2016 Teacher of the Year). Her inspiration for creating Curio Learning, LLC? The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.(*Note: be sure to read all 4 pages of the above embedded article so you can see which teachers are targeted.)
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If you check out the blog for Curio Learning, you’ll see a definite global agenda in the posts. For example, “Treat Your Classroom Like a Temple of Heaven”. This one was written by a NJ Teacher of the Year (2016) and featured by Lamb-Sinclair. In the “Heaven” article, the writer reveals that the NEA (National Education Association) is behind the globalization efforts aimed at teachers.

Of course, Warriors, NEA’s ties to the UN (United Nations) and other global agenda carrying education reform groups is no secret. It’s also no secret that NEA is the group behind all the “Teachers of the Year” awards.********************************************************************

If you are curious as to how Curio Learning, LLC got its funding, it’s NOT the Gates Foundation, it’s KY basedKale and Flax (Human Centered Design Company).

(*Note: Warriors, if you’ll remember, National School Choice Week also used penguins dressed in yellow scarves. Why are so many CCSS Machine member groups using innocent penguins? Penguins ARE cute, they also live in a huge community. They are seen as ‘cool’, too.)

What teacher doesn’t wish to be ‘cool’? What family doesn’t wish to have their school choice as ‘cool’? For a more psychology based look at why we are seeing more penguins in our education ads, read this 2014 article. The CCSS Machine is diabolical. Using anthropomorphism (humans seeing their characteristics in animals) is one of them.
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Next Up, ICivics’ Advertisement:

Warriors, note right off the bat the social justice aspect is focused on here. “Literacy” should be reserved for English, or, as it’s been re-branded, ELA (English Language Arts). “Civil Rights” belongs in Social Studies. We’ve seen a dangerous mix of social justice in subjects it has no business being inserted into.

According to the iCivics website, you don’t just learn civics, you ‘play’ them. As in, on-line gaming. Founded by former Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’Connor, you’d think iCivics could get the most basic of American concepts correct: that we are a Republic, NOT a democracy!

On Page 3 of the iCivics latest Annual Report, you’ll see that over 5 million students ‘reaped benefits’of the on-line games. (*Note: you’ll need to scroll down the page to the Annual Report.)

On Page 7, you’ll learn how Civics is being used as a tool to drive student’s behaviors.
Page 9 reveals how iCivics will grow to over 10 million students by 2020 via PBLs (project-based learning). PBLs are code for CBE (competency based learning). CBE is used on a global scale as a ‘one-way-to-learn-so-you-can-earn’ system.

Warriors, if you cannot read from the screen shot which CCSS Machine members are funding iCivics, here are the ones I highlighted: Carnegie Corporation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, and, the MacArthur Foundation.

Is it any wonder true American civics is being replaced by social justice initiatives? Below, from the iCivics’“About Us”page (scroll down to the “Evidence” links), how “Next Generation Learning” is tied to Common Core and iCivics:(Source of SRI’s history can be found here.)

Warriors, be sure to go to the SRI website, too. Why? You’ll see how teacher professional development is still tied to CCSS (Common Core State Standards), how SRI is in bio-research for health care, and, more.

Otus’ Advertisement:

For the last advertisement, we’ll find out what or whom is behind Otus.

Warriors, this company exists to streamline data collection. It also is targeting all school leaders, not simply teachers. It’s got its data tracking aimed at assessments, too. Why? So you can see learning ‘in real time’. ( I am going to be a bit ‘cheeky’ here for a moment. If you want to see learning in ‘real time’, it won’t be on a computer!)In the above screen shot, you see a sample image for a student. Notice how it’s “Standards Based Mastery”. While I didn’t find the exact image used in the advertisement, I did find one very similar on the Assessments Management page. You’ll need to scroll down to ‘new and old gradebooks’.

(A 2017 Blog article reveals the Standards will be CCSS/NGSS and accessible by third parties.) (*CCSS: Common Core State Standards/NGSS: Next Generation Science Standards)

Among the Otus partners is CCSS Machine member organization, NWEA (North West Evaluation Association). If you’ve not heard of NWEA, maybe you recognize their ‘work’: RTI scale (Response to Intervention) and MAP (Measures of Academic Progress). This organization is an insult to any parent, student, and educator. Why?
While their advertising brags of ‘measuring what matters’, it is data raping in its most evil form: SEL (social emotional learning). What’s more is MAP is used outside public education! Private schools, home education, and faith based schools use MAP. My former research has proven this time and time again.

Also helping Otus be as CCSS aligned as possible, especially for assessments, is Khan Academy. Khan is among Otus’s shared educational resources. If you wish to learn more about the ‘free’ educational resources Otus offers, look at their ‘Classroom and Learning Management’page. Look for the ‘behavior tracking’ tool/resource.

Look further into SEL, RTI, and MAP, you’ll find Robert Marzano. Marzano is notoriously known for things like “Rigor Walk”. (Teachers and leaders are led around the schools with data tracking tools to measure students without consent.) My evidence on this is also research based and previously published on this blog.

You can access both my NWEA and Marzano articles here. (*Note: one of the NWEA leaders believes that if students letter ‘better’, they will score ‘better’ on these assessments. If they score ‘better’, they’ll be ‘better citizens’. “Better citizens” create a healthy economic system so everyone can benefit. I pointed this out in one of my NWEA articles. Look for it.)

Finally, from Otus’s Blog, an article from January 2018, will show you how to choose the best on-line formative assessment. The research Otus is relying on for helping schools choose the correct assessment? The George Lucas Educational Foundation!

Closing:

Warriors, before we part for today, I wanted to share with you a June 2017 article I wrote centered on the HARD and SOFT Goals embedded in SEL and Common Core. This article is not only vital to understanding why technology can be used against us in education and assessments, it’s vital to see how it ties to education in 2018 and beyond.

Warriors, it’s the day AFTER the biggest election we’ll see for another 4 years. Did your anti CCSS candidatewin? While the dust is settling, let’s please remember we have SERIOUS issues, especially when it comes to education.
I realize I may lose some followers after this article, but I feel we MUST look at the entire scope of who’s leading in D.C….and in your States. Warriors, we must not let our guards down. The CCSS Machine is JUST as much in the Republican party as it is the Democratic party. With both Chambers of Congress, we’ve seen a tea-totaling sell out to federally led education, NOT less! Are we really so caught up in the moment we are forgetting that while our President is important, it is Congress which is participating with the CCSS Machine evenmoreso?

As anti CCSS Warriors, we oppose not only Common Core, but:

CTE, Career Tech Education; which has been proven to be not only the adult form for the express purpose of skilled laborers to boost the national and global economy but has been tracked to trickle down from jobs to higher education all the way back down to early learning.

ESSA, Every Student Succeeds Act; which mandates MORE federal control; gives power to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services; embeds skill based education for post-secondary readiness (embedding the U.S. Dept. of Labor); mandates STEM {Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math}, which embeds the U.S. Dept. of Education, the U.S. Dept. of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. State Dept., and more; re-brands Common Core as “Challenging State Academic Standards”, “College and Career Readiness”, “21st Century Learning Skills”, etc.; states that ‘region specific’ education is to be taught; makes teachers and school leaders into puppets for the CCSS Machine agenda; be it in the career and college readiness trap OR the ‘let’s all micromanage education by becoming pseudo doctors so we can diagnose students of all ages and abilities. That way, the federal government can justify giving more Title One Funding with oh, so many MORE strings!’

WIOA, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (which embeds U.S. Dept. of Labor into the education of our nation at ALL grade levels and consumes EVERY school choice!)
You’ll also find certain mandates from WIOA woven into ESSA. Without CTE, WIOA would be hard pressed to even exist as a federal law. Those mandates include: massive data collecting, tracking, and streamlining (the CCSS Machine uses the phrase ‘personalized learning’ to hide this) education NOT for academic and proper critical thinking, BUT, for ‘learn to earn’ (aka: workforce education) students capable of replicating orders. Other mandates include massive assessments for skill based learning, which lead to not so much diplomas, but certificates of national level. The higher the certificate’s level {literally platinum, gold, silver, or bronze}, the better job. The problem? No certificate, no job!
At least that’s how the skill-based assessment publishers have it rigged.

Warriors, in the months which have led up to this important election, I have repeatedly showed you how the CCSS Machine has carried out, via the U.S. Congress, their continued grinding down of education in the form of workforce based education. ESPECIALLYCareer Tech Education!!!

Whatever amount of money each of the Congressional members may (or may not) of received; whatever special favor, or under the table endorsement; no matter what racket has corrupted them, the CCSS Machine is resting easy. But it will be cranking up again SOON.

Why? If you’ve not noticed, many of the CCSS Machine groups aren’t terribly ‘loud’ right now..BECAUSE they don’t have to be! The ‘bang for the buck’ payoff is this: Congress’ Ed/Workforce Committees in BOTH chambers AND including ALL political parties are being extremely loud right now.

Congressional Message from Election Day 2016:
Another unabashedly ‘pro CCSS/CTE’ plug by Congress!

Yes, this is from my email, just like the one I showed you in the 11/7/16 article.

Congress is being a great megaphone for the CCSS Machine.

Here is what else the latest plug for illegally based education (yes, since CTE is Common Core, it too, is illegally based. It’s also been codified, thanks to OTHERCongressional laws.):

1) The Ed/Workforce Committee cites a quote from IBM. If we didn’t already know it, IBM is a HUGE CCSS/CTE Supporter!! Here’s an excerpt about IBM’s love for CTE, “By linking local employers with education leaders, CTE can lead students into successful, life-long careers and fill local economic needs. Take IBM. Through the Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools (P-TECH) education model, IBM has helped graduating students secure paid internships and mentors from local businesses who can offer career advice, guidance, and support.” (*Note: this is also in the email I received.)

3) That quote from the Daily Mining Gazette featured in the screen shot? The paper is based in Michigan. Michigan has had a huge sell out crowd to the CCSS Machine when it comes to workforce based education and CTE!

3a) Daily Mining Gazette is owned by Ogden Newspapers Inc (ONI). ONI has other small newspapers around the nation, as well. West Virginia for example. Workforce based education, aka CTE; as well as other connected programs are a big deal in this State.Their website can be found: http://www.oweb.com/newspapers.html(*Note: ONI also is involved in healthcare! See: http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=901889 )

Resources For Your Proof:1) To see the entire letter from Ed/Workforce: http://edworkforce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=401137

2)I showed you in the 11/7 article how healthcare and CTE intersect. However, if you missed it: https://commoncorediva.wordpress.com/2016/08/16/ctes-health-country/

3) To see my P-Tech article: https://commoncorediva.wordpress.com/2015/06/25/tech-thursday-p-tech-its-here-its-now-and-its-part-of-the-p3-ccss-machine/ (*Note: if you’ve heard of the “Reinventing High School” document, this is where you can find it and SO much more. It also has information which will take you back in time to at least 2006.)The Answer, As Far As I Can See It:

Warriors, in the title of my article, I posed a question. So far, I’ve not given a clear cut answer. What I have given you is plenty of evidence for you to draw your own conclusion.

From my researched findings, it does indeed appear that in spite of who will be our next President, Congress has laid out enough damage to TRUE American academic-based education, that it will not matter. Too much has been spent; too many laws (legal or illegal) have been made/broken; and, too many backroom deals have been crafted.

What has troubled me throughout this election is that Mr. Trump’s VP, Mr. Pence is an acknowledged ‘champion’ of CTE (Ed/Workforce Committee has even trotted out parts of Pence’s 2015 CTE speech in their propaganda blitzes.) Compare that to Mrs. Clinton’s well documented love for Common Core. Neither fact is very comforting, nor reason to lower our guards.

As far as what CTE propaganda Congress spits out today? I’m sure we’ll know soon.
If you’d like to check the Ed/Workforce Committee on Twitter (where you can see all kinds of CTE propaganda):https://twitter.com/EdWorkforce (*Note: The Senate HELP Committee needs to also be checked up on.)
********************************************************************SO, am I suggesting that because America is so far down the education reform road we will not be able to turn back?! No!! Remember, America (other until otherwise noted) is a Constitutionally based Republic. IF you look at the definition of ‘republic’, you’ll find the CITIZENS are to be the ‘supreme power’, NOT the federal government.
Warriors, in plain speak, that’s ‘there are more of us than them’!! By the fact of sheer numbers, we CAN beat back this reform! Will it be a tough battle? Most assuredly. We will give up? Not likely until we die. Why? Our children (babies, teens, and adults) will face awful consequences if we don’t!

One more thing: we cannot rest on any laurels. Our work in not over. As long as there is federal abuse and overreach into education and all that goes with it, we have far to go.

Recently, anti CCSS/ESSA/Fed Led Ed Warriors, a pro Common Core education blog featured an article posing the view that the fight for modern education reform has lost steam. It suggests that all we’ve been doing is for nothing; that there are FAR more important issues upon us at the moment. It is truly a work of the CCSS Machine’s propaganda. So why am I bothering to even acknowledge this piece of ‘recycled rhetoric’?!

BECAUSE WE ARE NOT DONE! Because we know our students are THE future of our nation!
Because we wish to preserve our nation! Because we are SICKto no end of the illegally based movements which seek to destroy our U.S. Constitution.

Yes, there are OTHER issues upon us right now. Yes, we do see federal overreach and political mayhem everywhere. Politics ARE most certainly a part of the CCSS Machine, so any comments about fighting against CCSS without getting into politics is an oxymoron. The two are entwined on purpose. The education blog also brings politics into the article. It uplifts one side’s agenda and makes fun of the other’s. Warriors, BOTH sides are in the CCSS Machine! Think not? Go back and look at the ways our Representatives and Senators have voted one the education bills/laws/amendments. Both sides have discounted the TRUE voices when it comes to education…OURS!

So, what are WE going to do to PROVE that WE are just as committed; just as dedicated; and just as loud as we can be in the ‘War Against the Core’?! As long as we have the status quo in education, there is still time to show the nation WE haven’t lost steam.

Let’s go get ’em, Warriors!

If you’d like to see what got my dander up, see:edexcellence.net/articles/the-end-of-education-reform

Fordham Institute has the audacity to call Petrelli one of its ESSA experts, too!
See: edexcellence.net/policy-priorities/essa (*Note: ESSA is short for Every Student Succeeds Act)

You might find it interesting that Fordham held a contest earlier this year. The competition? Designing accountability measures. These measures were then used to influence the U.S. Dept. of Ed in writing their (current) Proposed Regulations for ESSA!
Check out the ‘peppy Petrelli’ video (just about 2 hours); see the CCSS Machine organizations who were the 10 finalists in this contest. edexcellence.net/events/essa-accountability-design-competition

Anti CCSS/ESSA Warriors, Have you made your public comments on the Proposed ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act)Regulations yet? We only have until August 1, 2016.

What’s Up:
Lately, I have been overwhelmed with family health care needs, research, working on a special anti CCSS/ESSA project, and mentoring Warriors across the nation. While I’ve not been as active in writing the past couple of weeks, I have NOT been slacking when it comes to what CCSS Machine members are ramping up their propaganda to support the ESSA. The most ‘in our face’ push, is the public comment period surrounding the Proposed ESSA Regulations for State Accountability.

Why This Matters:If you missed the late May 2016 announcement about the Proposed Regulations, I am including my published article about it, https://commoncorediva.wordpress.com/2016/05/31/hear-ye-hear-ye/In this article, I shared with you how, another pro CCSS group, ASCD was hot on the heels of this announcement. I have to stop and wonder sometimes, why these pro CCSS groups seemingly trip over each other to be the first one at spewing propaganda..

Did you notice the pro CCSS/ESSA group leading? It is the NEA! The National Education Association. If you want to see how the NEA is sending a mixed message, simply access their website. A screen shot is below. The mixed message explanation will be below it.
To access the website: http://www.nea.org/essabeginsMixed messages: While the NEA is accurate in stating the ESSA will continue NCLB (No Child Left Behind) style of assessments with its rewards and punishments for all, that is about all they are accurate on.
Those ‘opportunity gaps’ ESSA is supposed to close? Nope, a BIG fallacy! When you read the ESSA as in-depth as I have, you can point to the sections where gaps will NOT be closed.

Notice how the NEA is also lifting up ‘weighted evidence’ is needed in the forms of early childhood education, AP courses, etc. Again, if you have truly read the fine print of the ESSA, you will know these ‘education opportunities’ will be used AGAINST the students AND teachers when accountability enters the picture! How? The ESSA plainly points to everything learned and taught MUST be in preparation for post-secondary readiness! Funding for early education through high school will be weighed against how many students in your States are enrolled in post-secondary education! All this doesn’t even begin to address the levels of data collection, mining, and sharing that MUST occur (and is mandated) via the ESSA!

Let’s also remember, Warriors, the NEA was a banner heralding group publicly thanked by Senators Lamar Alexander AND Patti Murray after the ESSA was passed. Alexander’s fallacy is the ‘state led’; Murray’s is the ‘quality early education’ which is double speak for mandatory (and universal) birth to PreK education!

So, what are the leading comments the NEA is leaving when it comes to these Proposed Regulations? It appears to be a ‘canned’ message. You have the option to leave your name, as I saw some folks who did, or you can remain anonymous (as seen below). You can also choose from ‘educator’, ‘paraeducator’, and other titles when commenting.

“I am an educator and a member of the National Education Association and I urge the U.S. Department of Education to support the flexibility afforded to local stakeholders, including educators like me, by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Educators are experts at working with students and helping them reach their potential and we are ready to lead implementation efforts in our communities so students have access to the public schools they deserve. I am hopeful about the Department’s support and promotion of ESSA’s stakeholder engagement requirements in the proposed regulations, and recommend that these provisions be strengthened to ensure not just input, but two-way dialogue aimed at reaching consensus among stakeholders. Additionally, the final regulations should explicitly say that stakeholder engagement should include meetings that educators actually can attend, and that the engagement extends throughout the implementation process. However, I implore the Department not to short-circuit the stakeholder engagement process it professes to support by taking away from that process the very decisions that ESSA says states, districts, educators, parents, and other stakeholders should make – with the aim of that engagement being providing all students a better education. I urge the Department to promote transparency about school quality by dropping language in the regulations that would reduce the entirety of a school’s performance to a summative number or grade. The Department should instead promote a rich data dashboard on multiple academic and school quality indicators that will truly inform parents and others charged with helping students and improving schools. I urge the Department to promote equity by dropping the proposed regulations’ new restrictions on the use of school quality and student support indicators (“Opportunity Indicators”) in the accountability system. ESSA for the first time requires an Opportunity Indicator, not just test scores and graduation rates, to be an indicator for measuring and improving schools. The Department should promote, not undermine, school quality and student support indicators since they are the best way to ensure every student has access to a quality public school. I urge the Department not to take away my voice in the implementation process by using the regulatory process to restrict our community-led innovative solutions and opting to add requirements in the regulations that, according to ESSA, were left to states and districts in consultation with stakeholders. For example, the Department should drop the timelines for improvement, limits on interventions, and definitions of consistently underperforming that conflict with ESSA. I urge the Department to learn the lessons of NCLB’s failed interventions by dropping its list of recommendations for draconian interventions in schools, such as school closure, and allow stakeholders to determine appropriate creative, community-based interventions for struggling, under-resourced public schools as envisioned and outlined by ESSA so that all students have greater opportunities for a good education. I urge the Department to respect the decision by Congress to let states determine the weight and impact of any students who are opted out of testing by their parents instead of inserting proposed penalties into the regulations. The best way for the Department to promote test participation is to continue its campaign for better and fewer tests, which will create confidence in parents that tests have a role beyond labeling and punishing schools. In closing, I look forward to seeing my views and those of educators across the country reflected in the final regulations. I have every confidence in my fellow educators to help come up with strong, creative solutions that help all students excel and reach their full potential.”

Is the NEA alone in sending mixed messages about the ‘greatness’ of ESSA?! No! Remember, ASCD is already publicizing much. But what OTHER groups are there?

If you are a bit confused about the LCEF and CivilRights.org, here is a direct quote from the fine print at the bottom of the website’s page, “CivilRights.org is a project of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights & The Leadership Conference Education Fund.”

The CivilRights.org folks will be hosting an ESSA Proposed Regulations Webinar in early July 2016. It is by invitation only, from what I can find.

Other groups giving webinars in support of ESSA, or more, pointedly, shaping your mind toward ESSA are iNACOL, Parent Central Hub, The School Superintendents Association, ASCD, White Board Advisors, EdWeek, and the U.S. Dept. of Education. You can find more when you type in a general search for ‘ESSA Regualtions Webinars’ on your own.

Contrast all this with the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and THEIR take on how ‘great’ ESSA is: http://www.publiccharters.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/NAPCS-ESSA-Overview-Webinar-3.10.2016.pdf

What is a Warrior To Do?When it comes to the Proposed Regulations for ESSA?! Protest them! Provide truth based evidence as to WHY the Regulations are toxic in nature. Show HOW the Regulations support the CCSS Machine. Be sure to keep reading my blog, in about 2 weeks, I will be able to tell you much more about how we CAN STRIKE a blow to the CCSS Machine’s prize law, ESSA!

Recently, anti CCSS/ESSA Warriors, the CCSS Machine organization known as Act, Inc. (think high stakes assessments, data mining, and workforce based alignment) published a paper about the ‘soft skills’ education alignment MUST include if we are to have employable students. It is the 2016 National Curriculum Survey (more about this later).

Many researchers, like myself, have been sharing with you over the years how the CBE (Competency Based Education) is a huge component of the illegally based education reformation we are witnessing. The evidence is plentiful, so I will not waste our time rehashing CBE’s roots.

I would like to point out to you this recent publication so we can see just how MUCH more propaganda the CCSS Machine has spun in regards to ‘soft skills’ and how ONLY the Common Core/ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act)/HEA (Higher Education Act)/WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) can do it all!

The Acts That Keep on ‘Killing’:

From the Act, Inc. 4 page document promoting how great a national workforce based credentialed system is and WHY everyone should be involved, is in the screen shot below.Note how the data base of skills is ONLY available at Act, Inc.

What does this have to do with ‘killing’? When we stop educating people to do what they desire and rely on skewed tests which align us to learn what the CCSS Machine demands, we KILL the love of learning.

This 4 page document is geared for the students and refers to them as ‘Career Seekers’.

Act, Inc. has also published another 4 page document for educators and how THEY can make sure students are CERTIFIED for workforce based national tracking!

This document informs us that there are 3 nationally based assessments students must take; that their scores to be workforce ready must be certain numbers which also translate into platinum, gold, silver, and bronze levels.

As educators, we are ‘killing’ our students spirit with alignment like this. Think about it, our students (of ALL ages) will not be as recognized for WHO they are, but WHAT level of certification they have!

Warriors, Act, Inc. also has a document explaining how they have studied all this workforce based/competency based education. They wax on about the case studies, the need for alignment, the ease of it all via data mining. As part of the alignment, Act, Inc. has a self assessment we can take called, Act ‘Engage’.

When I take this self assessment and COMBINE it with the other Act, Inc. workforce based assessments, I become part of a global workforce skills based company’s database called Envision. See for yourselves, below. Notice how early this alignment is starting, notice the personalized learning component, and yes, the data mining.

Look below at this screen shot. Notice how Act, Inc. is stating that for the first time workforce stakeholders were included in the National Curriculum Survey!!

This almost 90 page document is full of CBE information! It is full of all kinds of ways education is being made over with workforce as the ultimate goal! Act, Inc. also states, in this report, that the College and Career Readiness Standards are theirs. Throughout the ESSA, you will find the phrase ‘college/career readiness’.

It has been reported by other anti CCSS/ESSA Warriors that the ACT test is also being considered as one of the 2 national assessments that would replace the SBAC and PARCC. Think this is all a coincidence? It certainly doesn’t seem that way to me.

Page 3 of this Survey will connect ACT, Inc. to the Common Core State Standards, as well as continue the ties to workforce based education. To access this information,NCS_Report_Web

Notice that the Campaign includes policy and government relations. That means Act, Inc. has a front row seat in Washington, D.C.! Notice the States and leaders from those States tout how great Act, Inc.’s College/Career Readyefforts are.

Lastly, from Act, Inc.’s website, you can find a recent report for the purposed use of dual enrollment which also blends in quite easily with the education agenda for workforce readiness. Dual enrollment is a favored option for home educated students. So, when the CCSS Machine set out to align ALL educational choices, they meant it. You can find this 2015 Report at the bottom of the website page: https://www.act.org/

Closing:

Warriors, find out how far down the Act, Inc. alignment path your State is. What legislation does your State have for Workforce Development? Is your State aware of the ties to the CCSS Machine with the College/Career Readiness?

Happy April, anti CCSS Warriors! As you can see, a prominent member of the CCSS Machine has foolishly sent me an invitation to join them.

We help encourage each other every time we are blocked from sharing anti CCSS/Fed Ed truth by saying it is a ‘badge of honor’. So, I guess a personalized invitation is ‘a trophy’. Oh, how I ‘hate’ to break it to ASCD, but this is one trophy I will happily discard!

If you think I am being pithy about this, I am. Consider this my way of celebrating April Fool’s Day. However, I know there is serious business to attend to, so let’s get to it, shall we?

In Case You Missed These Recent Truths:

I will confess, March was a whirlwind month for me, so I wasn’t as on target with sharing the following as I have been in the past, especially with my Twitter followers. So, in the spirit of unity, here are the items from March we really need to know about. An informed and active Warrior is much better to War Against the Core! We cannot let up, too much is at stake.

The Fools Line Up:

1) The NEA (National Educators Assoc.) will begin their “Spring Into ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act)” campaign, April 3, 2016. The goal? To ‘inform’ as many parents and schools about the great things ESSA will do to restore local control. As we know from researching the ESSA, this is a bold lie. NEA will use its power to bully the nation with this lie. To see what other CCSS Machine members are planning to do similar things to America:https://commoncorediva.wordpress.com/2016/03/22/essa-aligners/

Action Step: This weekend, brainstorm for how the REAL truths about ESSA can be shared in your local areas. To read the rest of the article where I highlighted this (near the bottom of the article): https://commoncorediva.wordpress.com/2016/03/31/quick-kill-the-education-romance/(*Note: After you brainstorm how to combat the lies with the truth for next week, go back and access the VITAL information the rest of article reveals! Post secondary education will need our anti CCSS Warrior truths as well!)

4) If you want to learn how the CCSS Machine is set to make MORE profits off our citizens across America, then you will need to read this eye-opener. All this profit will be made by adhering to the ESSA (most specifically the passages embedded which allow MOREP3s in education (P3s, public private partnerships).

As the clock ticks ever closer to the full implementation of the ESSA, expect more CCSS Machine members to almost trip over themselves to rush out MORE foolish information, plans, products, services, propaganda, subjective webinars/conferences/resources.

This is a huge bonus for those of us warring against this illegally based modern reform set to impact our entire nation. How?! Think in military terms here, you know your enemy; you know their objective; you know they will not give up.
That said, remember this: we are not giving up either! We are more in number than the enemy. We are more invested in this War than they will EVER be! How? We haven’t sold out, compromised, or walked away with our hands in the air. We have TRUTH! We have ‘gumption’ (ie: guts, fortitude)! We have the protective hearts to do WHATEVER it takes to stand up for those in education. We have the patriotism to stand up and do WHATEVER it takes to unite to save our country!

I leave you with the ‘Warriors Theme’. It was especially created for our U.S. Military forces to support their dedication to our nation. While the images show only Armed Forces personnel, listen to the words, the attitude conveyed, and the precision. Apply it to our War. (Note: There are a few colorful words in the song.)

Beginning today, I’ll be featuring, all weekend, CCSS/CTE’s united efforts to dumb down our students..at every level of education, not just K-12!

Usually, on Fridays, you anti CCSS Warriors would see the “Fib-o-Meter” appear. Believe me, today’s article will be FULL of CCSS/CTE Fibs! However, since there’s an urgency to getting as much information to you BEFORE the Senate resumes their education overhaul marathon, I’m devoting the entire weekend’s article to giving you ‘ammo’ (aka ‘information’) that we MUST share immediately to stop the audacious propaganda that’s literally streaming out of Washington, D.C. at the moment. It’s worse than ‘stuck on stupid’, it’s an attempt to bombard us with lies wrapped in ‘good legislation’ to promote the CCSS Machine’s total domination of American education!

We’ve seen the way the House of Representatives listened. We’ve fired back, not so nicely, as a result. We’re not afraid. We must use our pro-active effort as a tool to be effective with the HR5, the ECAA, the HEA, and the most recent educational push: “College Promise Act”. (see the above screen shot)

The CPA, College Promise Act:

This Act is NOT the HEA (Higher Education Act). CPA is a totally separate bill designed to push the free 2 years of Community College. While that may sound great, this concept, has been researched, written about, and shared by many of the true nature of the legislation: Educational coercion! {*Note: The HEA will be popping up soon. How soon, I don’t know. However, with the researched proof that the HR5, S1177, and HEA are all designed to be a seamless transition from grade to grade (preK to college), it will be heard in Congress. One report I’ve previously shared stated that Sen. Alexander is hoping it will be not only presented in session, but passed before the next big Congress recess. That’s a dire warning we MUST heed!}

A mere two days ago, a press release was shared stating senators from Wisconsin, Virginia, and New Jersey introduced the College Promise Act. The press release also shared that Arne Duncan was also included in a media conference call promoting the dire need for this legislation. By now, you may know that the angle being used by the CCSS Machine to create such legislation is equity in education for all students, especially low-income ones. I’ve no problem with making college more affordable, however, as I’ve stated time and time again, community colleges have already been CCSS aligned. With that stealthy move, community colleges became part of the CCSS/CTE track.

Other key points:
1) Community colleges, under the grasp of CCSS/CTE, while local, will not have local control!2) Community colleges don’t only impact recent graduates from ALL high school choices, but adults returning to the classrooms after, maybe, many years. This means anyone will be slammed with the CCSS/CTE alignment!3) ‘Free’ will NOT be free! How many times have we lived this out? In order for ‘free’ community college for some, it means others will have something taken away!
4) Just as in the K-12 bills, teachers and other educational staff personnel in post-secondary institutions will need assessing, re-education to handle all the behavioral aspects of the CCSS/CTE legislative parameters.

Another press release by the AACC (American Association of Community Colleges) you’ll need: http://www.aacc.nche.edu/Advocacy/Pages/acpa2015.aspx

In a brief statement of fact, why this is bad, is that every student loan will see more federal funds, less state funds (example: for every $3.00 the federal gov’t loans, the states loan $1.00). Translated: more federal control; watered down degrees with CCSS/CTE alignment, and a horrid amount of student debt.

I’ve covered CLASP’s overreach before now, They’re not just pumped about the College Promise Act, but the HEA, too!
See: https://commoncorediva.wordpress.com/2015/03/19/tech-thursday-ccss-workforce-pushing-labor-reform/

Closing:

I know we, the anti CCSS warriors are being flooded at the moment. Congress is presently, very active. As tired as we may be, we MUSTN’T let up the pressure directed toward D.C.!!
Yes, many of us anti CCSS warriors are sharing lots of information to combat the rhetoric we’ve come to identify and despise. Yes, it may make your head spin. However, my fellow warriors, we must consider what’s at stake. Is it worth the dizzying pace? Absolutely! We MUST press on! We MUST be the thorn in Congress’s side. We MUST fight for our students!!